SGA changes up committees mid-semester

Oct. 30, 2013

Written by

Noah Gass

Contributing Writer

Senators in the university’s Student Government Association have been given the freedom to choose their committee homes this semester.

Executive vice president Haley Cobb, who was sworn in at the beginning of the semester, made the change.

“When I came into office, it soon became apparent that the committees were not functioning efficiently because people were placed in committees that did not suit their interests,” Cobb said.

According to Brandi Martin, college of education senator, members chose which committee they would like to work in. They were previously assigned committees, regardless of personal interests.

“Committees are a good way for people from other areas to share ideas for bills,” Martin said.

Senators ranked the committees they wanted to be in from least to most favorable, which gave them the chance to be a part of a group that they had knowledge of or interest in.

However with their newfound freedom, some senators aren’t using it to their advantage.

According to Devin Lee Hawthorne, liberal arts senator, this resulted in friends joining the same committee, which has created an atmosphere that makes it harder to get work done.

While the point of each committee is to discuss topics pertaining to their area of affairs and create bills to better that area, anybody on the senate can present a piece of legislation pertaining to any committee.

Kadesha Estes, sophomore behavioral and health sciences major, is public relations committee chair. Internal affairs did not have enough people present to vote on a committee chair.

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SGA also passed a bill to require freshman council members to pair with mentors from senate during the Oct. 24 session.

“The bill serves as a guiding program for freshman in order to have a successful collegiate career,” Cobb said.

The bill was under review for less than 10 minutes before it was called to question and a majority voted to move on. Martin said she and other senators voted to debate the bill, but the question was called so quickly they could not voice an opinion.

She and Hawthorne believe a clause should be added to the bill to require senators to be mentors, or at least add an incentive so more members would be willing to mentor a freshman.

Fifty-seven members are on the senate, and 31 are on freshman council. However, some senators have two or three freshman they are mentoring. Because they are not required to be mentors, those who are stepping up feel as though they have grabbed the short straw, Martin said.

These types of issues are never heard because some senators call the question too early in order to move on with the meeting, Martin said.

After the meeting was adjourned, the newly formed committees gathered around the room and exchanged ideas such as changing library times to 24 hours during finals and “‘Blue Box,’ a Redbox for students.” The SGA has recently brought up a bill that would make the senate more transparent to the student body through social media. If passed, it will require the vice president of marketing, Daniel Webb, to post the minutes of meetings and bills passed on social media sites and the SGA website.

A resolution has also been presented that would encourage the university to provide students who make the Dean’s List an electronic certificate, signed by Sidney McPhee, university president, to encourage student success.